This Teen’s Version of “Come and Get It” Left Everyone Speechless

Josh Levi’s “Come and Get It” audition on The X Factor USA is one of those rare moments that makes you stop scrolling. A 14-year-old steps onto one of America’s biggest talent show stages, takes on a Selena Gomez pop hit, flips it into something fresh, and earns three judge yeses before the last note fades. If you haven’t seen the Josh Levi X Factor audition, you’ve missed one of Season 3’s most talked-about performances.

Here’s a full breakdown of what happened, why it worked, and what any aspiring performer can learn from it.

Who Is Josh Levi? The Young Singer Behind the Moment

Joshua Levi Bolden was born on October 7, 1998, in Houston, Texas. By the time he walked into the X Factor USA audition room in Los Angeles in 2013, he was only 14 years old — but he carried himself like a seasoned entertainer.

His family had relocated from Houston to Los Angeles just three months before the audition, a deliberate move to put Josh closer to the professional opportunities his talent demanded. He was still in high school. He was nervous. And he was completely ready.

Before X Factor, Josh had already appeared in the NBC series Friday Night Lights, which gave him early on-camera experience. But singing in front of Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato, and Kelly Rowland — with thousands watching live — was a different kind of test.

He passed it with ease.

The Audition: Josh Levi’s “Come and Get It” Performance Breakdown

Song Choice: A Strategic Risk That Paid Off

Choosing Selena Gomez’s “Come and Get It” as an audition song was bold. The track, released earlier in 2013, was already a massive pop hit. Covering a well-known current song is risky — judges know every note, every beat, every expected moment. Any weakness is instantly exposed.

Josh didn’t hide from that risk. Instead, the Josh Levi “Come and Get It” performance leaned into a rearranged version of the song — slowing certain passages, adjusting the melodic phrasing, and layering in R&B-influenced runs that performed a distinctive identity. It wasn’t a karaoke cover. It was a reinterpretation.

That choice signaled something important to the judges: this wasn’t a kid who memorized a song. This was a young artist who understood music.

Stage Presence Beyond His Age

What made the Josh Levi Come and Get It performance so striking wasn’t only the vocals. It was the full package:

• Confidence from the first second. He walked out without hesitation, made eye contact with the crowd, and settled into the stage like he owned it.
• Choreography woven into the performance. His movement wasn’t stiff or rehearsed-looking — it flowed naturally with the music, enhancing the vocal delivery rather than distracting from it.
• Crowd connection. Long before the song ended, the audience was on its feet and visibly invested. He wasn’t performing at them; he was performing with them.

This level of polish at 14 is genuinely rare. Most adult contestants struggle with one of these elements. Josh handled all three simultaneously.

The Judge Reactions

The panel for this audition included Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland, and Simon Cowell (mentor Paulina Rubio was absent that day). All three were visibly surprised — not by the song selection, but by the execution.

Demi Lovato, who is a close friend of Selena Gomez, had personal familiarity with “Come and Get It.” Hearing a 14-year-old transform it into a credible R&B showcase clearly resonated. Kelly Rowland, herself a former member of Destiny’s Child with decades of industry experience, recognized the performance instincts immediately. Simon Cowell — notoriously difficult to impress — gave his yes without hesitation.

Josh received three yeses and advanced to the Top 40.

Why This Performance Stands Out Among X Factor Auditions

The X Factor USA Josh Levi moment isn’t remembered simply because a teen sang well. Thousands of teens sing well. It’s remembered because of how the performance was constructed and delivered.

Here’s what set it apart from a typical Josh Levi talent show performance:

1. Vocal Control Under Pressure

Live television is unforgiving. There are no second takes, no pitch correction in real time, and the emotional stakes are enormous. Josh’s vocal control throughout the performance — including the high notes and the quieter, more intimate passages — was technically clean and emotionally present. That combination is difficult for even experienced professionals.

2. Song Rearrangement Skills

Most audition contestants sing a song as close to the original as possible. Rearranging a current hit and doing it well is a statement of musicality. The Josh Levi audition song choice and its rearrangement demonstrated that he wasn’t just a skilled vocalist — he was thinking like a recording artist.

3. The “Complete Performer” Factor

Vocal talent alone doesn’t make a star. The entertainment industry is full of technically skilled singers who never break through because they can’t command a room. The Josh Levi singing audition demonstrated command of his voice, his movement, his nerves, and his audience.

What Happened After the Audition?

The Josh Levi X Factor USA journey didn’t end with the audition. After advancing to the Top 40, he was placed in the Boys category and mentored by Paulina Rubio (who had been absent for his audition, which Josh felt put him at a disadvantage early on).

During the live shows, he performed covers including:

• Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World)” — Week 1
• Jackson 5’s “Who’s Loving You” — Motown Night
• Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” — ’80s Night
• Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” — British Invasion Night

He was initially eliminated on October 29, 2013, but was brought back as a wildcard on November 6 after the judges recognized the mistake. He ultimately finished in 7th place overall — a strong result for a 14-year-old competing against adults with years more experience.

His story didn’t stop there. Years later, Josh Levi voiced Aaron Z from the fictional boy band 4★Town in Pixar’s Turning Red (2022), appeared on the Billie Eilish and Finneas-co-written track “Nobody Like U,” and signed to Issa Rae’s Raedio label and Atlantic Records. The X Factor audition wasn’t his peak — it was his launchpad.

Key Lessons Any Young Performer Can Take From This

The Josh Levi performance video has been watched millions of times, and for good reason. Whether you’re a performer yourself or simply a fan of great live music moments, there are real, actionable takeaways here:

For aspiring singers:

• Choose an audition song you can make your own — not just one you can sing correctly.
• Work on stage presence separately from vocal technique. They are different skills that must work together.
• Rearranging a song, even slightly, shows musical intelligence. Judges notice.

For coaches and music educators:

• Josh Levi’s audition is a textbook example of the “complete performer” concept — useful for teaching students that vocal skill is one pillar, not the whole structure.

For fans and talent show viewers:

• The moments that go viral from talent shows are almost never about technical perfection alone. They’re about connection, confidence, and surprise. Josh delivered all three.

The Lasting Impact of a 4-Minute Audition

More than a decade later, the Josh Levi “Come and Get It” audition still circulates on YouTube and social media. New viewers discover it regularly. It has become one of the defining clips of The X Factor USA‘s three-season run — not because it featured the show’s winner, but because it captured something genuinely extraordinary: a 14-year-old who walked into a high-pressure situation and looked completely at home.

That kind of moment doesn’t fade. It becomes a reference point — something people share when they want to show someone what natural star power actually looks like.

Josh Levi didn’t just cover Selena Gomez. He made the song a calling card. And more than ten years later, people are still talking about it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ Schema)

Q1: What song did Josh Levi sing on The X Factor USA audition? Josh Levi sang a rearranged version of Selena Gomez’s “Come and Get It” for his X Factor USA Season 3 audition in 2013. The performance earned him three judge yeses and advanced him to the Top 40.

Q2: How old was Josh Levi during his X Factor audition? Josh Levi was 14 years old when he auditioned for The X Factor USA in 2013. He was born on October 7, 1998, in Houston, Texas.

Q3: Did Josh Levi win The X Factor USA? No, Josh Levi did not win The X Factor USA. He finished in 7th place in Season 3. He was initially eliminated, then brought back as a wildcard, before his final elimination on November 28, 2013.

Q4: What did the judges say about Josh Levi’s “Come and Get It” performance? Judges Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland, and Simon Cowell were all visibly impressed by Josh Levi’s audition. All three voted yes, advancing him to the next round. Paulina Rubio was absent from his audition but later became his mentor in the Boys category.

Q5: What has Josh Levi done since The X Factor? After X Factor, Josh Levi went on to voice Aaron Z from the fictional boy band 4★Town in Pixar’s Turning Red (2022), was featured on the Billie Eilish and Finneas-co-written song “Nobody Like U,” and signed to Issa Rae’s Raedio label and Atlantic Records. He released his debut EP, DISC ONE, in July 2020.